The Athletics Philosophy at Notre Dame

SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio—15 February 2012

Notre Dame College subscribes to the NCAA Division II philosophy of “Life in the Balance,” which emphasizes “a comprehensive program of learning and development in a personal setting.” Because of our adherence to these values, athletics at Notre Dame are an integral part of a unified academic and student life experience.

NCAA Division II provides an avenue for students to compete athletically while maintaining much of a traditional undergraduate experience. This balance – in which students are recognized for their academic success, athletic contributions and campus/community involvement – is at the heart of the Division II student-athlete experience and at the core of the Notre Dame College Athletics philosophy.

In an attempt to capture the essence of “Life in the Balance” we engaged student-athletes and coaches in a conversation related to their experience at Notre Dame. Watch the video below:

At Notre Dame, we do not see athletics as a thing apart, but as a core institutional program linked to the College's mission to educate for “personal, professional and global responsibility.” Anchored in student life and academics, Notre Dame College seeks to provide its student-athletes with the opportunity, consistent with NCAA Division II values, “to grow through opportunities for academic achievement, learning in high-level athletics competition and the development of positive societal attitudes in service to community.”

At Notre Dame, we work with our student-athletes to help them become competent students, responsible campus citizens and athletes who can compete. “Competent students” means recruiting students who accept their responsibility to succeed academically and providing them with the support to accomplish that goal. “Responsible campus citizens” means working with the College's student-athletes to understand and embrace their responsibility as role models to one another, to other students and to the general college community. “Athletes who can compete” means striving to excel at the highest level of Division II athletic competition.

To help our student-athletes meet these expectations, the College accepts its responsibility to provide our student-athletes with high quality-athletic administration, coaching, facilities and academic and student life support. All of this is done within the spirit of a “Catholic college in the tradition of the Sisters of Notre Dame that educates a diverse population in the liberal arts for personal, professional and global responsibility.”